Department of Health Management

About us

The Department of Health Management is the University’s base for education, research, and innovative thinking related to management, quality and policy of health care services, health care technology, and health care financing. The scope of activities and the training subjects of the Department has been developing over time, according to the needs of the country, political context and priorities in health systems, as well as development of the concepts of health management and public health. Public health management is defined as the mobilization and management of the society’s resources including the specific resources of the health services sector, to improve the health of population through whatever means is appropriate. Our educational programs focus on helping students develop the critical thinking and applied problem-solving skills needed to address a wide variety of public health and health management challenges. Department provides students with knowledge and skills to apply classroom learning to real world, public health management, and to address fundamental issues in today’s complex and rapidly changing healthcare environment in Lithuania and abroad.

Department was established in 1951. Until 1953 the head of the department was J. Parnarauskas (1904-1953). Department was joined with the Department of Hygiene in 1953. During 1953-1956 the head of the department was prof. J. Šopauskas (1900-1968). Since the 1st of September 1956, Department of Social Medicine became an independent unit. Until 1960 the head of the department was M. Zaikauskas (1924-1988), during 1961-1977 – Assoc. Prof. S. Kindziulis. In 1977, the department was joined again with the Department of Hygiene. During 1977-1980 the head of the Department was Assoc. Prof. J. Rauba, during 1980-1986 - Assoc. Prof. V. Obelenis, while during 1986-1991 – Prof. J. Petrauskienė. Since September 1991, the department of Social Medicine became independent again. The head of the department was Prof. J. Petrauskienė. Since 2001 department changed the title into Department of Health Management and is led by Prof. Ramunė Kalėdienė.

Large variety of study subjects for undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as for retraining of health care executives, leaders and administrators, aiming at shaping their attitudes towards comprehensive health management, is offered at the Department. Students of the Faculties of Medicine, Odontology, Public Health and Nursing study social medicine, health care management and quality, medical history and medical law. The same subjects are thought in English for foreign students of the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Odontology. Since 1st September 1997, new discipline was introduced – Management of health care quality. Refresher and postgraduate training courses for the health care managers and administrators are organized on the regular basis at the Department. Master program Management of public health developed according to the international TEMPUS project, which started in 1997. Since the year 2000, a three-year part-time Master program Management of public health is offered. Students of the Faculty of Veterinary medicine and Faculty of Animal husbandry technology study management, marketing and basics of law at the Department after Kaunas University of Medicine and Lithuanian Academy of Veterinary were joined into Lithuanian University of Health Sciences in 2011. Training of doctoral students, reviews of scientific projects, methodological guidelines, and different reports is carried out at the Department. Consulting of health care managers, active involvement in health policy formulation and into activities of the National health board, as well as expertise of different activities of national and international institutions and organizations is carried out by the staff of the department. Staff of the Department is actively involved in the international activities, e.g. Program for Operations research in reproductive health, coordinated by World Health Organization (WHO), expert work and consulting in the areas of health inequalities, human resource development, health monitoring, development of public health research etc. at WHO, European Commission, World Bank, European Public Health Association (EUPHA), Association of Schools of Public Health of European Region (ASPHER) and others. A vast network of alumni who hold leadership positions in different parts of health care system work in close partnership with the department in activities such as guest lecturing, recruiting and mentoring students, and providing access to data and practices to Department engaged in research projects.

Research

Department carries on research in two major areas/topics – Analysis of health care quality and management (leader Prof. S. Sauliūnė) and Inequalities in health among Lithuanian population (leader Prof. R. Kalėdienė). Researchers of the Department took part at the Lithuanian national scientific program Ecological stability of the regional development in the context of history: Lithuanian example (1993-1999); scientific-practical programs Prevention of psychiatric disorders (1997-2000), Improvement of the quality of life (2001-2004), and National program of males and females equal opportunities (2005-2009). A number of international scientific projects were implemented in recent years with the participation of the staff members of the Department, such as: Injuries in Sweden, Estonia and Lithuania: situation analysis and implications for prevention, 2001-2005 (coordinated by the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden); Tackling health inequalities in Europe (EUROTHINE), 2004-2005 (coordinated by the Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands); Baltic sea public health training network (BalticHealthTraiN), 2005-2007 (Coordinated by the University of Tartu, Estonia); Elder abuse: a multinational prevalence survey (ABUEL), 2008-2010 (coordinated by the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden); European best practices for improving access, quality and appropriateness of migrant health care (EUGATE), 2008-2010 (coordinated by the Queen Mary and Westfield Colleague, University of London, UK); European urban health indicators system part two: urban health monitoring and analysis system to inform policy (EURO-URHIS 2), 2009-2012 (coordinated by the University of Manchester, UK).